(Isaiah 49:24-25) Questions of "prey be taken from the mighty man?" Or "captives of a tyrant be rescued?" Received switched answers

Question

The (Isaiah 49:24-25) bible verses are interesting because of the nature of their artistic literature.

In the grand scheme of things, I can understand that Isaiah 49’s message is that God will show favor to Israel and protect Israel from her enemies. Furthermore, the Isaiah 49:25 bible verse ends with how God will contend against tyrants and mighty men who oppose Israel.

Isaiah 49:24-25 New American Standard Bible 1995

24 “Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?”

25 Surely, thus says the Lord,

“Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of the tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will save your sons.

However, when I try to analyze the nitty-gritty aspects of the (Isaiah 49:24-25) bible verses, it’s a little confusing. Why are questions of Isaiah 49:24 given switched answers in the succeeding Isaiah 49:25 bible verse? Could someone give a deeper understanding as to the nature of the artistic literature and/or literary devices related to said verses?

Answer 1

Isa 49:24 & 25 form a classic Hebrew chiasm - a piece of literature/writing that is symmetrical about the center. Let me set this out to show the structure:

A: Can the plunder be snatched from the mighty,

B: - or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?

C: - - This is what the LORD says:

B': - “Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away,

A': and the plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved;

Now, in Hebrew literature, the most important point is always the center of the chiasm - here it is that the LORD is saying/pronouncing it. Thus, the prophecy is certain precisely because the LORD says it.

Answer 2

The structure of Isaiah 49:24-25 can be seen as a form of Hebrew parallelism, which is a common literary device in biblical poetry. In this case, the parallelism is used to create a contrast between the seemingly impossible situation presented in verse 24 and the divine intervention promised in verse 25.

In verse 24, the rhetorical questions “Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?” suggest a situation where the odds are stacked against the prey or captives. The implied answer to these questions, in the natural order of things, would be “no.”

However, in verse 25, God responds by reversing the expected answers: “Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, and the prey of the tyrant will be rescued.” This is a powerful affirmation of God’s ability to intervene and overturn even the most hopeless situations.

This “switch” in the answers serves to emphasize the power and sovereignty of God. It highlights the theme of divine intervention and salvation, showing that with God, the impossible becomes possible.